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Opinions
Sept. 13, 2001
Editorial
Elon community grieves as one over the horrors
of an unforgettable day in human history
Where were you when it hap
pened? We were coming out of
class in the communications
building. We glanced at the flat
screen TV hanging in the hallway,
seeing the twin towers engulfed
in flames and smoke. Was it re
ally happening? Reality hit. We
walked to College Coffee and the
news was repeated. We hugged
our friends. We prayed, we cried
and we mourned.
Most likely, we will all re
member where we were when ter
ror rained down on the United
States Sept. 11, 2001. It will be a
day that we tell our grandchildren
about, that we remember years
from now, that will make us shud
der in reverence.
And while we will each have
different memories of this day,
where we were, what we did,
whom we lost and how we felt, we
share a commonplace - Elon. We
were here, os a community, mourn
ing the incredible loss, trying to
make sense of an entire day full of
truly senseless acts. We were here
talking, crying and expressing our
fear and anger for a country that
is supposed to be invincible.
In the following weeks, we
should not forget that we are here
together, each of us mourning,
each of us looking for a way to
find resolution and assurance. We
can find truth in all of this. We can
recover, begin to understand what
happened and learn great mea
sures from the horrible tragedy
we watched unfold on live TV.
And we can do this together.
Where were we when it hap
pened? We were at Elon, mourn
ing as a community, reaching out
to students and staff who lost fam
ily members, praying for those
who died and learning important
lessons about life. We were here,
together.
Moral cultures may be relative, but
human civility is a global imperative
Josh Davis
Opinions Editor
I was waiting in the checkout line
of Harris Teeter Monday night when
a lively dark-skinned girl around the
age of five eagerly squeezed her way
between my cart and the candy shelf.
Her mother, a large demonstrative
woman dressed in beautifully
wrapped and beaded African garb,
reached around the magazine rack
and with one quick wrench of her
daughter’s arm, retumed the scream
ing girl to her side. A light public
beating of the girl ensued.
It is important to point out that
while this woman wasn’t necessar
ily following “African” tradition, the
fact that she appeared “un-Ameri
can” raises an important point. Ear
lier in the century, a similar event
might have resulted in an unfortunate
public racist outciy. Today, however,
the mystery of “culture” is much more
easily tolerated and/or confused with
outright apathy for human kindness.
No apologies came from the
mother for her or her daughter’s ac
tions. No concem was given to thek
public appearance. In fact, very little
attention was given to the event at
all. People of all types in the store
simply tumed away as the poor girl
was being brutalized in front of me.
In this current age of individual
segregation, it’s become a basic rule
that you just don’t comment on how
people raise their children. Periiaps
in light of Tuesday’s tragedies, it is
time that we did. All traditions and
cultures aside.
Although diversity has always
Taresa LaRock, Editor in Chief
Jennifer Guarino, Managing Editor
Elizabeth Sudduth, News Editor
josh Davis, Opinions Editor
Jason Chrck, A & E Editor
Katie Bonebrake, Focus Editor
Justin Mazzola, Sports Editor
Jessica Vitak, Chief Copy Editor
Lauren Vilis, Business Manager
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existed on some small level in the
U.S., recent past decades have re
vealed a growing campaign for the
positive “multi-division” of society.
Nations are divided into ethnic
groups; ethnic groups are divided
into religious sects; religious sects are
divided into economic classes; eco
nomic classes are divided into civil
rights organizations. The list goes on
and on, and unless you belong to one
of the divisions, your opinion on
them is worth about as much as a
five-year-old girl at a candy rack.
Each legitimate division has it’s
own jurisdiction, and in the name of
freedom, divisions are being created
simply because they have “the right
to be.” It’s what I call a dumbed-
down society of diverse ignorance.
A slowly evolving multi-cultural
intelligence is being trashed in ex
change for the civil liberty to be righ
teously pointless and/or destmctive.
For exan^le, MTV has confused the
canapaign to “Rght for your Rights”
as a privilege for some “Jackass” to
run Arough a street intersection in a
g-string. Meanwhile, thousands are
simultaneously dying at the hands of
fanatical world terrorists.
Perhq)s Tuesday’s attack on this
proudly heterogeneous nation will
teach children of the world that some
cultural convictions are never worth
human sacrifice. May we all pray for
the future of our world’s youth.
It was hoped to be a day of
celebration...
Stephen Dignan
Columnist
It was hoped to be a day of cel
ebration as mirthful chatter
bounced off bricks above the soft
swell of the fountain.
Friends greeted one another
with smiles and warm embraces
and fellows talked of coffee and
of recent travels.
Youthful faces raised silver in
struments to their lips and batons
twirled gracefully while flags
waved and rifles twirled in the air.
Then heads tumed. Excitement
and enthusiasm withered as un
seen tears dotted faces now
streaked with sorrow and uncer-
September 11, 2001
tainty.
Heads bowed. Words wafted
through the air above a sea of
wrinkled foreheads and trembling
lips.
Heads lifted and as feet
shuffled drooping forms here and
there, a few darted with anxious
faces wondering aloud if family
members were okay.
And the band played on. Sol
emn looks stared out between glit
tering instruments as the Star-
Spangled Banner became a dirge.
For the next few moments, the
occasional strained laugh or
forced smile dotted a scene of sad
ness, and the moming that was to
be one of celebration, quietly
came to a close.
The views and ideas expressed in Opinions are not necessarily those of
The Pendulum, its staff, or Elon University.
One must ‘experience’ Elon
to realize our true ranking
Jennifer Guarino
Managing Editor
In the past week, the U.S.
News and World Report,
“America’s Best Colleges”
guide has created a lot of mixed
emotions. Administrators across
the country crossed their fingers
and waited for the numbers to be
released.
These numbers are a big deal.
A senior vice president at Hobart
and William Smith College was
fired last year when she failed to
submit new data to U.S. News,
which caused the school’s rank
ing to fall.
At Elon, we’re celebrating Uie
tremendous climb we’ve made.
In six years, the university has
jumped from 39th to 9th.
Has Elon changed that much
in six years? The quality of stu
dents who enroll has increased,
but at the core, isn’t Elon still the
same place?
An education isn’t just what
is taught in the traditional class
room. It’s the Elon Experiences
- study abroad, service learning.
leadership, undergraduate re
search and internships. It’s the
community environment, where
we know people by name and
have our professors’ home
phone numbers. We know we’re
getting a quality education in a
great atmosphere.
Do those numbers tell us any
thing we don’t already know?
Nope. Elon is just beginning to
gain national attention for the
education and learning environ
ment it has provided students for
years.
Did we choose to attend Elon
because we saw Elon moving up
the U.S. News rankings? Prob
ably not. A big book of numbers
doesn’t replace the feeling of
visiting campus ^d knowing
this is the place you belong.
The numbers reportisd to U.S.
News measure important things,
like alumni giving rate, faculty
salaries and retention ra:tes. But
what’s much more important, is
the education we are receiving.
At Elon, we aren’t identified by
our social security numbers.
Should the success of our school
be measured by numbers?